A Pair Of 50-Bore Flintlock Duelling Pistols
Lot 329
A Pair Of 50-Bore Flintlock Duelling Pistols
Sold for £4,000 (US$ 6,542) inc. premium
Auction Details
Lot Details
A Pair Of 50-Bore Flintlock Duelling Pistols
By Durs Egg, London, Circa 1775
Reconverted from percussion, with slightly swamped rebrowned octagonal sighted barrels stamped respectively with Irish Waterford Borough registration marks 'WB215' and 'WB216' on the top flat, engraved breeches each incorporating a back-sight and with silver-lined touch-hole, plain tangs, flat bevelled locks each signed in script and with stepped tail, figured full stocks (fore-ends with minor splits) with swelling flat-sided butts, iron trigger-guards each with acorn finial, ramrod-pipes, dark horn fore-end caps, and original horn-tipped ramrods (iron parts with some minor pitting), London proof marks (2)
23.5 cm. barrels

Footnotes

  • These pistols are similar to those of the same period made by John Twigg, for whom Durs Egg worked for some time after his arrival in London. They are among the earliest pistols by Durs Egg so far recorded. For a very similar pair see Christie's London, The Wilfrid Ward Collection of Antique Firearms, 27 October 1993, lot 94

    These pistols were the inspiration for The Judas Pair, written by Jonathan Gash and published in 1977, the first of the Lovejoy series of novels. The pistols are illustrated on the front cover of the book
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